Nigeria, 174 others urged to scale up policies to meet IMO 2030 target

Nigeria and 174 other member states of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) have been urged to scale up concrete national policies, international commitment and technological developments to reach the five per cent maritime decarbonisation target by 2030.

The call is contained in the ‘Climate Action in Shipping, Progress towards Shipping’s 2030 Breakthrough’ carried out by UMAS Consultancy and United Nations (UN) Climate Change High Level Champions released recently.

The report revealed that the world is not on track for zero-emission fuels to account for five per cent of international shipping fuels by 2030, thereby jeopardising the industry’s 2050 outright decarbonisation goal.

The report further noted that the delivery of zero-emission vessels is also faltering, noting that the current order of vessels capable of running on scalable zero emission fuel (SZEF) are just one-fifth of what is needed to meet mid-term goals.

The report stated that at the end of 2022, there were 24 ships capable of running on SZEF with another 144 on order. Recall that stakeholders had lamented the non-implementation of international maritime convention for the prevention of pollution from ships 50 years after its domestication in Nigeria and Africa.

At the Lagos International Maritime Week (LIMWeek) 2023, they called for structural solutions to ensure pollution from ships is tackled to protect African maritime space.

The Consul General of Netherlands in Nigeria, Michel Deelen, had warned that the pollution from ships could hinder the nation from harnessing the many potentials of the Blue Economy sector.

He suggested that structures must be put in place, while existing laws and sanctions need to be meted out on foreign ships polluting the Nigerian maritime space.

Meanwhile, the calls on industry and governments to take concerted and immediate steps to stimulate supply and demand of scalable zero-emission fuels if shipping is to meet the IMO’s 2030 goal of five per cent of renewable fuels.

According to the research team, although the IMO’s upgraded target on the adoption of fuel emissions reduction is welcome, initiatives to achieve the goal will take time.

The team noted that global measures to achieve the goals will be adopted in 2025 but will not be implemented until after 2027, adding that this is why the IMO’s aims must be supported at a national and industry level.

The Lead author of the report, Domogoj Baresic, who is a Research Associate at University College London and a consultant at UMAS, said the last 12 months have seen a positive shift in maritime decarbonisation efforts, adding that now is the time to see strong progress in the commitment for zero-carbon fuels and freight from the industry so that the needed rapid scale-up of these fuels in the energy mix is achieved.

The UN’s Climate Change High-Level Champion for Egypt, Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, said the 175-member states of the IMO need to create incentives for businesses and investors to implement zero-emission ships and freight services.

He said, while there had been progress towards the IMO’s five per cent zero-emission fuels by 2030, policymakers should create incentives for scaling up such fuels, citing green hydrogen.

According to him, the alignment of advances in technological innovation, supportive policies, and collaboration across the value chain, will be key for successfully moving towards a healthier, more resilient and zero-carbon world.

The Project Director at the Global Maritime Forum, Jesse Fahnestock, said more action is needed, adding that with the revision of the IMO’s greenhouse gas strategy, the industry’s direction of travel is clear.

He said the maritime sector needs to assess how fast it can move in that direction, adding that this report shows that the industry is progressing, but action still needs to accelerate.

The Shipping Lead, United Nations Climate Change High-Level Champions, Katharine Palmer, said policymakers must do their utmost to ensure specific finance for SZEF developments is earmarked and directed into the right areas.